Year round Nigel Slater discussion thread Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all and welcome to this lovely space for our continued chats.

A bit of background for anyone not familiar with this topic:

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong usually takes place here between November and February each year (the Christmas Chronicles being a book written by Nigel Slater full of winter recipes and anecdotes) It's been running for a few years, and the contributors have collectively decided it would be nice to have it running all year round.

So here it is. It is a place to appreciate all things Nigel-esque. Think seasonal food and recipes, enjoyment of nature, gardening, appreciation of the weather, and sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a deckchair, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

That F&M candle looks lovely @RainbowZebraWarrior. I think it was the Garden Song one that I liked as well as the Honey one, and they had the Garden Song soap and hand creams in the in-store toilets. I always try to find posh toilets where possible in the hope of good handcream!

Thanks for the herb link @RainbowZebraWarrior , I made tarragon vinegar a couple of weeks ago to replace the bottle I smashed all over the pantry floor earlier in the year! And I made a syrup with ginger rosemary with the idea of champagne cocktails though honestly I do not lead a champagne cocktail lifestyle and nobody else in my house of drinking age likes fizzy drinks so I don’t really know what I was thinking there 🤦‍♀️
We had a very autumnal dinner last night - fresh corn on the cob, home made tomato soup with cheese toasties, and baked apples. Delicious.
@Bimblesalong I’ve been at home here in Chester for the past 10 days and I can truthfully say your dahlias will have required no watering
I’m sure I’ve moaned about it before on here but of my ten (10) dahlia plants this year I have had one (1) flower. So annoying. But one of them has a bud at last! No more Sarah Raven purchases for me, they just are not what they used to be. I have unsubscribed from the mailing list and DH put the most recent catalogue in the bin before I could open it and be tempted.
Photo attached of a very lovely flower on my tromboncino squash plant.

Nice trombocino! That dinner sounds truly delicious @SheherazadesSpringNonsense I was just eyeing the growing pile of tomatoes pondering tomato soup or a slow cooker veg curry, but I'm getting a bit sick of both so I've gone with a vat of Chicken Rogan Josh instead so plenty of leftovers to freeze. It's been really dry here on the NE coast save for a couple of brief showers, so my dahlias have still required watering. I know a few of you have mentioned the dreaded DF (Dahlia Failure), so I'm amazed at my success with them this year. I've made extensive notes about what's done well, and I am going to be strict too with what I buy / don't buy next spring. I've managed to kill two Magnolias and also, I think, the wisteria which have been expensive losses. The shady bed beside the garage wall is basically good for nowt so I'm might gravel it over and put my steel potting table and ooni oven there instead.

Omg! So I know dp’s on mn get a bad rep but. My Dp is currently away for a while. And in this morning in the post a l’occitane advent calendar arrived from him. I had one year ago and it was so amazing but this one looks more festive and I’m so excited for 1st December now. Think what makes it weirder was that this thread was chatting about advent calendars only this morning

Lucky you, @CrushingOnRubies, I had a L’Occitane advent calendar one year and it was lovely! What a thoughtful gift, and so organised of your DP. My DH would never ever think about advent calendars in September.

I’ve just been out for a lovely lunch, walk and browse round our local bookshop with a friend which feels like a proper Saturday thing to do. Our kids have been friends for years and they are in 6th form now, so we are trying to have a mindful, conscious transition to the next phase of life when they go to university and leave home. We’re aiming to make more time for ourselves now, alongside all the stress that comes with parenting teens, ensuring that when they move on we have already got in a good routine of doing things without them.

Now I’m back home with my St Eval Sweet Pea candle contemplating the ironing pile.

@lemonverbenaI am very lucky. I did mention to dp before he left but in a musing, not another chocolate advent calendar I quite liked a l’occitane one I had one year way. Certainly didn’t expect one to arrive in September. He said he wanted to get it before it goes out of stock.

sounds like a lovely Saturday. Mine was a disastrous palava involving busy beach car parks and not realising dogs weren’t allowed on one of them till the end of the month.

That is a very pretty squash @SheherazadesSpringNonsense We have a monster on our climbing courgette that we are looking forward to stuffing.
Dahlias are alive, although the wind has dried the soil in the pots. I also have some that are yet to flower, although are finally showing buds. A couple of them also have a weird black mould / blight on them, so I’m assuming I’ll have to chuck the corm when they’ve finished. I really must put them somewhere slightly warmer next year when I start them off, as u didn’t get to chop them early May as they hadn’t got going enough.

We’ve had the first veg casserole of the season, with cheesy gf dumplings. Easy and good to be back home for.

eta not sure where the double pic crept in!

Beautiful flowers @Bimblesalong

Advent calenders - I have ordered a Bonne Maman preserves one after seeing it on a “what is your favourite jam” thread a week or two back. I’d love a LOccitane one but I do have plenty of handcreams, shower gels etc so it’s hard to justify.

Oh wow. What a superstar he is @CrushingOnRubies Loccitane really does look a good one this year. I'd actually love it if someone would buy me a Diptique advent. My Mum keeps asking what I want for Christmas,.but I think she'd fall off her chair if I told her how much they were.

I've just finished watching I fought the law. It's been an emotional watch. Ann Ming is a hero here in the North East of England and although she made a huge impact on the justice system, I don't think many folk would know that unless they watched this drama. Kudos to Sheridan Smith as I think she did Ann proud. Bless you, and RIP Julie, pet x

I bought the St Eval advent calendar. Didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly. It is pricy at £50 but rhe past few years my husband has bought me the Liberty calendar so he reckons I’ve saved him a fortune. The Liberty calendar is gorgeous but the reality is there’s a lot of stuff I just won’t use. At least I’ll use the tea lights.
i’m almost finished 1000 feasts so I should be done just in time to start the Christmas chronicles again. I’m going to start making my own xmas puds again. It’s the trusty Delia recipe (sorry Nige). I’ve been lazy the past few years and bought one but I miss the ritual of it. Can’t really believe it’s September already and I have to start thinking about christmas. I’d like to make more home made foody gifts this year. Chutneys etc. we’ll see.
@RainbowZebraWarriorI’ve watched the first two episodes of I fought the law. Harrowing. The police just didn’t care did they? So bloody sad.

And as I’m catching up on posts I also wanted to second everything @LovesAutumnLeavessaid in an earlier post. This is such a lovely thread and it’s the community of posters who make it such warm and safe space.

Lovely that you're sorted with the St Eval advent @dazzlingdeborahrose I looked at Liberty this year, and although the box and bag are beautiful, I couldn't justify it for the contents. I see there's also an Arran Sense of Scotland one this year too. Looks lovely, but I'm holding out for Fenwick and the possible JL Home Fragrance. BTW, I've always read your user name as DazzlingDeborahHorse and have only just realised it's Rose, not horse. I always imagined you were some kind of Rainbow Maned Equine type creature like myself. The mind plays tricks sometimes, I think 😊

Marvellous day here. We went to our market as usual early doors which was quiet due to the Great North Run. Did a few other bits of running about when I noticed DD was fixated with something in the wing mirror. I asked her what was wrong and she replied that she couldn't quite explain it, but there was smoke in the sky like the end of the world. Fearing some sort of awful fire, I asked what direction and she said behind us. I looked in the rear view mirror to see the red, white and blue contrails of the Red Arrows as they went straight over us. We came home and I was feeding the Dahlias a bit later when some of the Red Arrows decided to to a bit of showboating over my house after they had done their usual fly past at the GNR finish line. I videod them doing loops and vertical flying for 20 minutes over my back garden whilst squealing with delight. There is something about the approaching roar of a Hawk jet engine that even DD was excited (she usually rolls her eyes at my fascination)

We've had a downpour since I fed the Dahlias and more have opened up. I'm not sure what witchcraft has occurred with this, but I usually kill most things plant based. Also bought a lovely Chinese lantern / physalis plant today along with winter violas to provide colour in pots at the front of the garden.

Off to do some late candle making now as I keep thinking I'd rather have too many than not enough for our stall next weekend.

I’ve gone off early with Nigel’s roast cabbage with cheese sauce for dinner tonight (CC, 14th November). I was cynical about it last year - did not think cheese sauce would go with roast cabbage. But it does and we are having it today. Without croutons or sprouted seeds though (but with brown rice and followed by an autumnal plum slump)

Oh wow @RainbowZebraWarrior I’m not the biggest fan of the red arrows. My df used to have dealings with them and calls them the dead sparrows. But anyway even I would be enthralled by my own seemingly private display of them.

@SheherazadesSpringNonsenseglad that the cabbage and cheese sauce recipe works. Like you I as a bit dubious reading that one sounds like it might curdle. Also not the biggest fan of cabbage and I’m always a bit disappointed that’s my birthday recipe.

I really rate Delia's Xmas pud recipe @dazzlingdeborahrose . I use a recipe in a book she published even before she was on the telly box, but when I compared it with the one on her website, it was virtually the same, so she's obviously found what works and stuck with it. The crucial thing I find is to measure the amount of whisky or brandy extremely carefully so that you have exactly the right amount, then say sod it and slosh a load more in 🤣🤣🤣

Sighing at the personal reds display - a dream! I love a roaring hawk as much as a feathered one.

I’ve given up on the product filled advent calendars - if JL don’t turn up a candle one, I’ll go with Cadbury’s! I loved the St Eval advent last year but want a change this year. I bought DH a coffee pod calendar which went down well.

I picked up a Durance Advent calendar in the January sales at 70 percent off - it has been scenting my wardrobe, where I stashed it, ever since. I had one last year (also a sales purchase!) and it was one of my favourite rituals. There's something very satisfying about a tea light - it burns just long enough for an evening (or afternoon) and then you throw it away and start again so no worries about tunnelling, or smoke blackening the glass or leaving it burning too long. In fact it's the perfect way to ration your scented candle habit and it always burns right through the last bit of wax so there's no waste.

I remember you having that advent calendar last year @LillianGish and it sounded lovely. It's great that you managed to get the same bargain again this year.

It's been a beautiful Autumn day here today, but gosh it was chilly this morning. 7 degrees, so the cashmere gloves are back out.

Here's a couple of Autumnal pics. My conker haul from today after I discovered a large horse chestnut tree near DDs new school, and our Mr Darcy in his new pumpkin igloo bed 🎃 🍁

Following for inspiration :)

Hello and welcome @Welikebeingcosy

I've been conker hunting again whilst waiting for DD to come out of school. The colours this year are beautiful. I was also looking at a recipe that landed in my inbox earlier this week. It's a pickle sandwich. Apparently you lay sliced pickles in a frying pan atop grated cheese then put more grated cheese on top. It forms a crust, and you make two of these, in-between which you put your filling. In the case of the image, its chicken, bacon and salad. Most intriguing.

Oh, and figs! The figs are amazing at the minute. Especially M&S one as they have 50% extra free, so you get six fat figs for £2.50. I'm on my second pack already this week as I'm stalking M&S daily for their new Christmas stock

Hi 👋 @Welikebeingcosythank you for setting up a 2025 poncetastic Christmas thread. Off to mark place now

Another chilly morning here. I've just checked on Nigel's insta as he hadn't posted for a while and I see he's pinned the new cover of ATF. This lovely quote from Nigella really sums up what a lot of us have said on here over the years, I think

Due to a small cauliflower one Christmas, we ended up using some cabbage to bulk out the cauli cheese and discovered that cabbage and cheese sauce works extremely well.

Mr Darcy looks so gorgeous in his pumpkin bed!

I’m back from a couple of days in London. First face to face training since pre covid. I went down the afternoon before, so managed to fit a trip in to Ronnie Scott’s as I love the atmosphere there. Curtis Stigers was playing. What a nice man - great jazzy music too.

It’s looking sunny outside and I’ve an office day today, so I’ll fit in a couple of walks to see how the leaves are doing round the village.

I’ve a few different veg left from our veg box at the weekend so will have a think about what I’m doing with them. DH has retired now and we are approaching an interesting phase where he should be doing more in the house whilst I’m working - including cooking and flitting around with a duster 🙄. He’s pretty good but is going to have to up his cooking game. I shall be leaving Nigel open at appropriate pages!

Just leaving this here for everyone to drool over... (ignore the crazy price, it's nice to dream)

https://www.diptyqueparis.com/en_uk/p/advent-calendar-25.html?utm_campaign=%20EM_20250911_UK_ADVENT_CALENDAR_PRELAUNCH&utm_source=direct_marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_content&utm_term=%20email_reg